Time
by Uenki
Summary: Sweet fluff. Memories of Kohaku flooded her. If not for her best friend who reminded her, she would have forgotten his existence and the fact that they still have a promise to be made.


**Time  
**by Uenki

**Me no own Spirited Away. **(Ack, I dislike my English)

The definition of time is the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past. However, no one actually knew what time is for. Is it because that human wanted a balance between everything they are doing? Or is it for the fact that humans wanted to understand behaviours or education so they created time? So, are they creating time for the sake of a creation?

This, we will never know, for the answers are right in the mental notes of our ancestors, be it the dinosaurs, apes, or chimpanzees. Thinking back, it was rather foolish of human beings to invent time even though it helped us. Time brings pain. And pain is an indescribable and undesirable emotion that stings one's heart. Pain, brings back memories, be it the most painful ones or the happiest ones.

She remembered… There was a time, not long ago, someone had once told her that one couldn't have lost their memory, he or she had only forgotten, and soon, they will remember, when the switch in their mind is triggered by something.

Chihiro chuckled dryly upon the ranting from her best friend, roommate and colleague. Apparently, she had met this handsome, beautiful young man (also known as bishounen), at the canteen, who helped her to pick up the keys that she had dropped. Their gaze met, and her best friend just thought that it was love at first sight. Chihiro shook her head, thinking that her best friend could not be cured even if Japan had the most advance technology ready.

Words that came out from her best friend's mouth when she's in love are all disgustingly romantic poems, and quotes that she had read from some magazines or mangas. Chihiro blew a huge sigh of relief when her friend stopped ranting, and blabbering as if she was possessed. Suddenly, her best friend's legs went jelly and she placed a hand on her forehead.

"Oh Chihiro, I think that I am going to faint! O' holy God, is this the side effect of meeting the lifelong mate of one's desire?" she said, dramatically. Chihiro rolled her eyes and smacked her on the head. She immediately placed another hand on her head and poked her tongue out at Chihiro as she stood up. Chihiro acted like nothing has happened, despite the unwanted attention that her friend has attracted.

"Idiot!" she mouthed to her best friend, who raised her head high up in the air, ignoring her, playfully. It was only then, her best friend had noticed the sparkly violet hair tie that was holding up Chihiro's long, straight cinnamon brown hair. Her eyes twinkled momentarily as she asked how she got that hair tie.

"Ah," Chihiro replied wistfully, "it was a gift from someone long ago… It's a good luck charm, you see." A light smiled brushed her lips, as she mumbled a 'thank you' to her best friend, otherwise known as Lilim Ria. Her best friend was, well, confused. She didn't know why Chihiro had said 'thank you' to her.

"Why? It's weird. I just asked you how do you get your hands on that hair tie and you said thank you to me. Such a weirdo," she commented, shaking her head. Chihiro noticed that that 'meeting-lifelong-mate-of-one-desire-disease' that had affected Ria was fading. She smiled inwardly at that remark. She chided Ria gently, but her cheery smile had not faded.

_Because if it wasn't you who asked why I have gotten this hair tie from, I would have forgotten… Those words of wisdom that she has said once to me… And I would also forget his name…_

_The River Spirit, Kohaku._

Ria rolled her eyes, "You're one weird fellow, Chihiro." She said and walked away. Chihiro smiled, and quickened her pace to catch up with her. Even though some memories hurt, even though time brings pain, even though he had not fulfilled his promise…

_I will wait for you… I am always waiting for you to come back to me. And I would greet you cheerfully and happily. That's why; my cheery façade is always there… Because it's for you. I will be strong and cry no more, I wouldn't be weak. I will be strong. I will not close my eyes anymore. I would smile._

_That is a silent promise I made to you. I won't break it._

Bidding her goodbyes to Ria, they went on separated paths. Ria had gone for her tuition, but Chihiro, chose to go to the river, where a theme park was used to be constructed on. Yet now, it was a clean, wide stretch of river.

A river that brings back bittersweet memories.

She placed her holdall by the lush greenery, and sat down by the river, leaning onto the tree. The birds greeted her with high pitched melodies, and the endless flow of the river soothed her nerves and tiredness. She looked upon the clear blue skies, and saw the clouds that reminded her fondly of marshmallows. Eight years passed, the amusement park was demolished, and the people that revolved around her had changed. But the thing that would never change was the clear blue skies; despite of the air pollution that made it dirty, the cycle would always go on… And the skies would always be blue.

At least, that was how she thinks. But opinion differs actually, from people to people.

She took off her shoes and baggy socks, and placed them neatly beside her holdall. Standing up, she walked towards the stream of river. Positively that no one could find her here, as it was her secret hiding place, she put a hand down into the river water. She closed her eyes as the water rushed through her hands, and she remembered. When she was only a little girl, she jumped into the water in the river for a sneaker, and she almost drowned. Yet she did not, because of a river spirit, and a white dragon with piercing green eyes. So as to say, they were the same person, with two forms.

"This river was once you…" she said softly, as if the spirit of the river was listening quietly to her every word. Her lips trembled for a moment.

"Do you know that I have a thousand words that I want to say to you, yet I never have the courage to tell you," she murmured, as she pulled out her hand slowly from the water. Looking upon her wet hand, she could almost feel something similar, yet so different.

"Actually, I was reluctant to live the Kamikakushi, because you were there…" Tears fell, as she spoke. She laughed bitterly, yet softly.

"I couldn't keep a promise after all… I told myself to be strong for you… And I will greet you with a smile when you come back to me. After everything I have gone through these eight years, I am still a cry-baby after all." She wiped her tears away. She smiled fondly at those memories. When she first met him, he seemed to have recognized her with just a look. He remembered her name, but she had forgotten him.

"Why do you pretend to be strong when you are so fragile inside yourself?" a soft voice asked. A voice so familiar. A voice that sounded like a lullaby. She jerked back her head, and deep brown eyes met soft green ones. She gasped, and she held up her heads to rub her eyes. She must be dreaming, it couldn't be. It is just plainly impossible.

She had forgotten once again, not every thing is possible either.

Tears flooded to the brim of her eyes, and they rolled down her cheeks smoothly. The young adult knelt down beside her, and pulled her gently into his warm embrace. The world seemed to be dissolving, and all was left is the two of them.

"Am I dreaming? You are here aren't you?" Chihiro said through sobs. He held out his hand to her.

"Touch it. If I don't become transparent or disappear, then you are not dreaming." He said, smiling. Chihiro grabbed his hand and placed it near her cheek, dearly.

"It's real. You are real…" she whispered. The tears stopped, and a smile was placed onto her lips. After the tears, the smile looked like a bright beautiful sun with red and yellow shining down.

"I missed you so much, Haku…" she said as Haku stroked her back, adoringly. It had been so long… Long enough for them to notice that they love each other, so deeply, and painfully. Haku smiled gently.

"I missed you too… And it took me long enough to leave the Kamikakushi and to tell you that I love you." Chihiro looked surprised, but then, she broke into a small, shy smile.

"I love you too."

For once, Chihiro's life felt complete, but that doesn't include Lilim Ria's sulky comments. Ria was trying to catch up with Chihiro and Haku, who was walking hands in hands, seemingly in bliss. Every now and then, time did not always bring pain. For once, it brought love, and it made them realized the feelings they had for each other and time made them complete.

Time doesn't equal pain, and it is not equivalent to love either. Time is just something… something magical. That's why it's created. But then again, opinion differs, because someone had once said that, "Time is the best medicine for everything, even for wounds of the heart."

Still, what is time really? Does it really bring a couple apart, or to bring them closer?

Dear readers, what do you think?

**AN: **Err… This one-shot was made by random doodling and some meaningful quotes that I have gotten my hands on from the internet.

**So, do you guys like it? Yes or no? **


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